Back in 2016, I had applied to go study abroad in Hong Kong through my college. The entirety of the trip would be three months or a full trimester. I had never traveled overseas before so the experience was frightening, exciting, and exhilarating. Planning was the first step of my trip and here are a few essential things you need to do before you travel.
Notice how in my last paragraph I stated, "in 2016, I had applied to go study abroad." My trip wasn't until March of 2017. If you are going to travel through a school or organization you need to know which steps they require you to take. The first step is to log onto their website and contact the people there to help you. Many schools have information meetings that are helpful for you to understand what they require of you. Passports, visas, vaccinations, etc. All of which are needed to have extra time to get approved to travel to certain countries. If for some reason you cannot make those meetings or your school doesn't provide them, the U.S. Department of State has a nifty website that can inform you what you need. I will link that here. This site only works for U.S. citizens, so if you are a reader from a different country, you will have to your country's government site and find the requirements there.
After knowing what was required of me, I made sure my passport was valid. I have always had a passport since I was little (thanks mom and dad), but I knew that I had not used it in awhile. I wanted to make sure it was still valid and would not expire while I was over in Hong Kong. If it did expire while I was in Hong Kong when at customs upon arrival, they probably would not let you enter the country. That would for sure put a damper on your trip. This was the easy part, you just had to make sure the data within your passport is after your return date from your trip. If not then you would need to update it. If you do not have a passport and are a U.S. citizen you will be able to find the information to apply for one here. I highly recommend having a passport even if you aren't traveling a lot. They are easily used for proof of citizenship and can help less complicate paperwork required for certain events, such as a new job.
While applying to study abroad at my school, they had students fill out the visa paperwork as well. The school then sent it over to Hong Kong's immigration department for approval. This process can take months, so you will want to do this well in advance before your trip. Some countries do not require visas if you hold a U.S. passport and are traveling for less than 90 consecutive days. Here is my go-to Visa Quick Check that I use when planning a new trip. If a visa is needed, you will have to go to that country's government or immigration website and fill out the proper paperwork and get approved before you travel. There are different visas based on what you plan to do over in the country. I will link Hong Kong's immigration site for reference here. On this page, you can see all the different visas you can apply for.
Once the paperwork is all finished, sent in, and everything is approved, this is when you start planning the flight itinerary. Some people like nonstop flights, others enjoy having a break halfway through and have a layover. Hong Kong was the longest flight I have been on to date. I flew from Burlington, VT to Chicago, IL, then Chicago to Hong Kong, which was a 15-hour nonstop flight. I was traveling with a friend, so I thought the trip wouldn't seem so long, but she ended up sleeping most of the trip. Since I am one of those people who cannot fall asleep on planes, the 15 hours seemed to drag on. I also underestimated my sitting ability because after seven consecutive hours my back started to hurt. At the time, I thought nonstop flights were the way to go, but looking back on the experience, I wish I had that layover to walk around and loosen my muscles. Once you decide you are going to do a nonstop or have a layover, you can now look for your perfect flight. I like to use Priceline personally, but I have used Expedia and Kayak in the past. Each site allows you to make a bundle deal if you need a hotel and rental car also. As for airlines, I always tell people to trust their gut, do research, and do what is affordable. Everyone has their biases when it comes to some airlines. I know I do! Those biases are usually always based on personal experiences, which is why you should do the research.
If you want to be able to communicate with your family and friends while abroad, you have a couple of options. You can set up an international plan through your provider, or buy a SIM card once you get to the destination. If you decide to set up an international phone plan, you will have to do this before your trip. Your provider should be able to give you the best options based on the length of your trip. Once that is set up, you are good to go! If you decide to go with the sim card route, you will have to bring an unlocked phone to the foreign carrier's store. An unlocked phone means that the phone is not restricted to be used by one carrier. From there, you would buy a data package and insert its SIM card into the phone. These are prepaid international SIM cards. The data plan usually is by the text or prepaid minutes. Once the minutes are up, you will have to pay for more, so make sure you budget the minutes and texts wisely. You could rely on free wifi, but it might leave you stranded. In hotels or Airbnbs, people sometimes offer free wifi. With wifi, you can go on social media, video call, use apps to text (such as WhatsApp or GroupMe), and look up directions. When I traveled to Hong Kong, I meant to buy a SIM card, but I ended up just relying on wifi since it was throughout the city. When I went to Japan, I was left stranded because I assumed it would also have free wifi, which it did not. If you do decide to go that route, make sure you do your research on where you are traveling.
Travel insurance is highly recommended for international travelers. If you were to have an emergency abroad, you would want to be sure to have this. That entails natural disasters, political unrest, unforeseen accidents, etc. Don't be the percentage of people who assume they will be overall okay. You never know what could happen. Safety while traveling should always come first. I suggest subscribing to the State Department's STEP alerts. These alerts allow you to receive information from the Embassy about your destination, allows the U.S. Embassy to contact you in an emergency, and helps keep you in touch with family and friends during an emergency. Travel insurance can cost as little as a few dollars a day and save you thousands of dollars later if you do happen to need it. There are some factors to keep in mind. The cost of travel insurance can vary depending on the following:
Your age
Length of the trip
Cost of local health care
Medical conditions you want covered
Amount and breadth of coverage
When choosing a plan, have these tucked in the back of your head. It is always better to be safe than sorry.
Don't forget to notify your bank and credit card companies when planning for a trip. You would not want them to accidentally shut down your cards because you didn't inform them. That would leave you stranded and panicked. Also, don't forget to ask about any international ATM fees. They will tell you which ATM's won't charge you as much when you make withdrawals. Before your trip, you can also request to receive the countries currency at your local bank, so you have cash in hand before you get there. That request might take a few weeks, so plan accordingly.
Make sure you do your research when it comes to getting the needed vaccinations before you travel. Shots take a few weeks to build up immunity, so you will need to make an appointment ahead of your trip. Some might even take multiple doses, so make sure you have the required amount of time before you travel. The CDC has recommended shots based on the country you plan on traveling to. Use this link here to find out if you need anything before you go! When I went to Hong Kong, I needed to get a Typhoid shot. It was a one time shot, and it took about five minutes overall. It was super easy and protected me! Most vaccinations can be given at travel clinics. To find the closest one near you, press here! Also, make sure to keep a copy of the vaccination certificate in case customs require you to show them when entering the country.
My last tip is to make physical and digital copies of your important documents. If something were to be lost or stolen, you would want to have that extra copy. This way it is easier to report if your documents get stolen, as well. In my mind over-preparation is the best preparation.
I really loved your post you did a great job and i also wanted to refer my own website Travtask.com